Astrocytes, Not Neurons, Hold the Key to Emotional Memory
Summary: New research reveals that astrocytes — not neurons — are responsible for stabilizing emotional memories by re-engaging during recall. After an emotionally intense event, such as fear, specific astrocytes become biologically tagged with adrenoreceptors, making them responsive when the memory is later reactivated. Blocking these astrocytes disrupts memory stability, while forcing them to activate […]
How Synapses Grow Up – Neuroscience News
Summary: A new study reveals how young synapses gradually mature to send chemical signals correctly — a process that can take days and depends on neural activity. Researchers tracked this in fruit flies by tagging newly formed synapses with fluorescent markers that changed color over time, allowing them to observe how proteins assemble to enable […]
Exercise Boosts Women’s Brain Power More Than Ovulation Timing
Summary: While women’s reaction times and accuracy peak during ovulation, physical activity level plays a far greater role in cognitive performance. Inactive participants had reaction times around 70 milliseconds slower and made three times as many impulsive errors compared to active women, regardless of menstrual phase. The study suggests that fitness has a stronger influence […]
Moving Away Makes Faces Seem Angrier
Summary: New research shows that our own physical movements can alter how we perceive emotions on others’ faces. In a virtual reality experiment, participants were more likely to judge a face as angry when they actively moved away from it, compared to when the face moved away from them. The results reveal a two-way relationship […]
Pregnancy Hormones Show Promise in Treating Progressive MS
Summary: Researchers have identified two forms of estrogen, estradiol and estriol, that may reduce inflammation and protect nerve fibers in progressive multiple sclerosis (MS). Using a virus model of the disease, the study found that both hormones lowered spinal cord inflammation, while estradiol significantly preserved the myelin sheath that protects nerve cells. This protective effect […]
Mother’s Voice Boosts Language Development in Babies
Summary: Hearing their mother’s voice may help premature babies develop stronger language pathways in the brain. In a groundbreaking study, preemies who regularly listened to recordings of their mothers reading had more mature language-related brain connections than those who did not. MRI scans revealed significant improvement in the left arcuate fasciculus, a white-matter tract essential […]
Triggered Hypothermia Protects the Brain After Injury
Summary: Scientists have discovered a way to induce a hibernation-like state that protects the brain after injury—without using external cooling. By activating a specific population of neurons, researchers created a reversible drop in body temperature that preserved neuron health and improved motor recovery in mice. Brain imaging revealed reduced inflammation and greater neuron survival in […]
Lymphatic Damage Tied to Chemo Brain Fog
Summary: New research reveals that chemotherapy may cause “chemo brain” by damaging the brain’s lymphatic system — the network responsible for clearing waste and supporting immune function. Using mouse models and human-engineered tissues, scientists found that common drugs like docetaxel shrink lymphatic vessels and impair drainage, leading to memory deficits and cognitive decline. The findings […]
Why the Brain Feels the Beat Better Through Sound Than Touch
Summary: A new study reveals that the human brain synchronizes more accurately with rhythm when listening to music than when feeling it through touch. When people tap along to sound, slow rhythmic brain waves align with the perceived beat, helping maintain steady timing. However, with rhythmic vibration, the brain responds to each pulse individually, failing […]
Skin Problems Signal Depression and Suicide Risk
Summary: New research reveals that mental health patients experiencing their first episode of psychosis are more likely to have skin conditions, and that these patients face significantly higher risks of depression and suicidality. In a study of 481 individuals, those with dermatological symptoms such as rashes or itching were over three times more likely to […]